Meet Brittany Hopkins (right) and Joy Trueworthy of Wise Acres Farm in Kenduskeag. This MOFGA certified organic farm grows vegetables, herbs, berries and melons to sell at the Ellsworth Farmers' Market on Saturdays, the Bangor Farmers' Market on Sundays, and at an on-farm stand. "We are proud to have MOFGA independently verify our organic practices," say the farmers. Learn more at www.wiseacresfarm.net and at www.facebook.com/wiseacresfarm.

Everyone benefits when supporting local farmersKennebec Journal - 5/31/2009.By Doug Harlow – In December 2007, the editors at the New Oxford American Dictionary announced that their "Word of the Year" was "locavore," an expression meaning someone who eats locally grown food. For those of us omnivores who eat just about everything, the idea of consuming fresh, locally produced vegetables, meats, breads and fruits appeals to our sense of place, taste and nutrition, area marketers say. So what better place to achieve all that than at a local farmers' market?

Instant virtue: go to a farmers’ marketKennebec Journal - 5/29/2009.Editor Opinion – There's a lot of talk these days about the politics and environmental cost of the food on your plate. Eat food that's trucked to Maine from far away – even if it's organic – and you're being naughty because that food takes lots of fossil fuel to get from there to here. Simply put, the minute those organic California tomatoes buckle their seatbelts for the cross-country ride, they lose their environmental virtue.

Organic dairies watch the good times turn badThe New York Times - 5/29/2009.By Katie Zezima – RANDOLPH CENTER, Vt. — When Ken Preston went organic on his dairy farm here in 2005, he figured that doing so would guarantee him what had long been elusive: a stable, high price for the milk from his cows. Sure enough, his income soared 20 percent, and he could finally afford a Chevy Silverado pickup to help out. The dairy conglomerate that distributed his milk wanted everything Mr. Preston could supply. Supermarket orders were skyrocketing.

Children plant carrots and democracyThe Capital Times (Madison, WI) - 5/29/2009.By Margaret Krome – As important as Michelle Obama's arms are to news reporters, the children helping plant and maintain the White House vegetable garden have an even more compelling story. They may be planting democracy along with carrots and lettuce. At the Northeast Farm-to-School conference last week, children, teachers, farmers and school food administrators described every kind of project imaginable linking children directly with food production.

6:30 p.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Honeybees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA deputy director, and Fedco Seeds founder CR Lawn talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.

6 to 9 p.m. Classes held in locations throughout Maine to give gardeners the skills and knowledge to transition from conventional to organic gardening. Registration: typically $5 to cover handouts. Information with class locations.

Locations: Common Ground Education Center in Unity with Jen Ries, or College of the Atlantic in Mount Desert with C.J. Walke. Learn to propagate and reproduce your favorite fruit tree varieties. Participants graft trees to take home and plant. $50 per person. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., East Sangerville Grange. Presented in partnership by East Sangerville Grange, Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, and Maine Highlands MOFGA Chapter. Speakers will cover topics of interest to both gardeners and commercial farmers. Doors open at 9:30. Light lunch will be provided. For directions go to www.grange.org/eastsangervilleme177/ or call Erin Callaway at 343-0171. RSVPs appreciated to make lunch planning easier.

9 a.m. to the afternoon, MOFGA’s Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity. We'll start with a demonstration on how to plant a tree. All ages are welcome. Bring a shovel, lunch, friends and kids. No charge. FMI: MOFGA.org or apples@mofga.org.